Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a flywheel, a manufacturing method thereof, and a power generating apparatus.
Background Art
A flywheel is configured to store large kinetic energy by rotating a rotor like a spinning top having a predetermined inertia mass at high speed. In a power generating apparatus using such a flywheel, the flywheel stores superfluous (or regenerated) electrical energy as kinetic energy of the rotor, and a power generator converts this kinetic energy of the flywheel into electrical power energy and charges a storage battery. The electrical power energy stored in the storage battery can be reused as power consumed by a load.
In a conventional flywheel, a permanent magnet is used on a rotor side, but an electromagnet is used on a stator side, and hence means for supplying an alternating current to this electromagnet must be disposed to a rotary shaft or the like of the flywheel. Consequently, a configuration of an apparatus is complicated, which obstructs miniaturization and generalization of the flywheel.
Thus, there is a demand for the flywheel which can store the large kinetic energy with a simple configuration.